Rover Oxford Ladies paid for missing a host of chances as they lost 2-1 at home to Ben Rhydding from Yorkshire in their second English League Division 2 play-off game.

Lorraine Furney of Rover

Seldom can a team have so dominated a match and yet faced defeat at the end.

In the first minute, Clare Norton put through a superb pass for Vicky Mankelow but she was denied by a fine save.

Five minutes later, Norton picked up the ball just outside the Rover D and ran all the way into the opposing D, where she rounded the keeper only to shoot wide.

Then Mankelow hit the post and from the rebound Rover won a penalty corner. It was hit to the right for Mankelow to run in, but her deflection went agonisingly wide.

Ben Rhydding had a goal disallowed from a penalty corner for the shot being too high, but the warning signs were there for Rover.

Another excellent run by Norton ended with her passing to Mankelow, but she saw her shot well saved.

A Ben Rhydding player was then taken to hospital by ambulance with a suspected broken ankle.

However, the stoppage did not prevent Rover from continuing the onslaught and Norton ran the length of the pitch, passed to Mankelow, but she again shot wide.

Some superb midfield work by Sunny Carter showed the 120 spectators that attacking play was not exclusive to Mankelow and Norton, and her early cross produced yet another good save from the keeper.

More Rover pressure followed in the second half and Suzie Williams saw a reverse-hit shot well saved, before they finally made the breakthrough.

Norton took the ball almost to the bye-line before crossing to Mankelow, who angled her deflection perfectly over the stranded keeper.

But, 16 minutes into the second half, Ben Rhydding were awarded a penalty corner which resulted in a shot zipping through the Rover defence for the equaliser.

And, in the last minute, Katie Smith was disposessed in defence and the ball was crossed for the visitors' centre forward to crash the ball high into the net for the winning goal.

Despite this result, Rover stay second in the play-off table as other results went their way.